433 West Ave · Mauston, WI 53948

$85,000

2 bd · 1.0 ba · 820 sqft · Other · 14 Days on market

10,018 sqft lot

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Why this score? — see what drove the B- grade

The composite is a weighted blend of 9 inputs, each scored 0–100. Each bar is that input's sub-score; the figure is the points it added to the 100-point composite (weight × sub-score).

• Cash flow +30.0/30.0
• DSCR +10.0/10.0
• 1% rule +9.4/10.0
• ARV discount +7.5/15.0
• Livability +3.6/5.0
• Schools +2.9/10.0
• Rent growth +2.5/5.0
• Condition / age +2.5/5.0
• Appreciation +0.0/10.0

Listing remarks

Enjoy a UNIQUE home in the heart of Mauston, Wisconsin! This 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home is an old train car converted into a home. With a quaint kitchen and dining room, along with two bedrooms, main floor laundry and two covered porches, this home has all you need. Sits on a full basement. Off street parking with concrete patio in back of the home, along with a very large city lot. Schedule a time to view in person today! Sold as-is.

Key facts

• Unique home
• Old train car
• Main floor laundry

Tags

• UNIQUE HOME
• OLD TRAIN CAR
• QUAINT KITCHEN
• MAIN FLOOR LAUNDRY
• TWO COVERED PORCHES
• FULL BASEMENT

Property features AI

Exterior

• Utilities: Municipal water; Municipal sewer
• Home design: Single-family, 1-story home; Estimated living area in the 751–1,000 sq ft range
• Construction: Assessor/public record year built (see public records)
• Exterior features: Vinyl exterior; Sidewalks on the lot

Interior

• Kitchen: Kitchen on main level (16 x 9); Includes stove and refrigerator
• Bedrooms: Main-level primary bedroom (17 x 11); Main-level second bedroom (19 x 8)
• Bathrooms: One full bathroom; No en-suite bathroom in the primary bedroom
• Heating & cooling: Radiant heat; Wall A/C; Natural gas heating fuel
• Interior features: Full basement

What this means for you Summary

Snapshot

• This is a 2-bed/1.0-bath other listed at $85k.

Deal economics

• At list price, monthly cash flow is $353 ($4k/yr) — positive.
• The deal already cash-flows at list — no discount required.
• Meets the 1% rule at list price ($1k rent vs $85k).
• Cap rate 11.3% vs local median 4.4% in Mauston — top-decile yield for the area; either an underpriced asset or a hidden risk that comps aren't pricing in. Stress-test before assuming the spread holds.

Location & tenants

• Location reads 71/100 on livability (#258 in WI) — a middle-class / working-renter tenant base. Strengths: crime A+, cost of living A+, housing A+; Watch: employment C-, amenities F, commute F.
• Mauston School District (rural): math 36% / reading 31% proficiency, ranked #248 of 342 in WI (top 72%) — families likely to look elsewhere, expect single-tenant / working-renter base with shorter leases.
• Zoned schools: Grayside Elementary (math 45% / reading 37%, grade F, #477 of 1,041 statewide, top 46%, 225 students, 57% FRL); Mauston High (math 17% / reading 17%, grade F, #400 of 483 statewide, top 85%, 381 students, 41% FRL) — zoned schools at 49% FRL track the district average.
• Market conditions: 61 active listings in the ZIP; 3 comparable units currently listed for rent nearby; rentals at typical pace (median 14d on market — plan ~3-4 weeks tenant-placement turnaround); 154 units permitted in Juneau County in 2024 (0 in 5+ unit buildings).

Forward outlook

• Local home prices are declining (-3.0%/yr); year-one equity from $588 of loan paydown is wiped out by about $3k of value loss. Plan a longer hold.
• Juneau County population projected at -19% by 2050 — secular population decline; favor cash flow + early exit over multi-decade hold.
• At projected returns (-3.0% appreciation + 3.0% rent growth), your $24k cash investment doubles in ~7 years — after that, you're playing with house money.

Negotiation context

• Only 14 days on market — expect competitive offers; lowballing is unlikely to land.
• Current owner paid $36k; list at $85k implies a 136% gain — meaningful room to come down on a strong offer.

Recommended offer $85,000

Questions for the listing agent

1. Is there a deadline driving the sale (1031 exchange, divorce, estate, relocation)? That informs how much negotiation room exists.
2. Schools are F-rated, which usually means shorter tenancies and higher turnover. Who's the typical renter profile here, and what's been the actual vacancy rate?
3. What's the average days-on-market for RENTAL listings here right now (not sales)? A rising rental-DOM trend means longer vacancies and softer asking-rent achievability than the comps imply.
4. What's the recent tenant-quality profile in this submarket — average credit score on applications, eviction rate, late-payment / NSF rate, and stable-employment percentage? A property-management company in the area should have these aggregated.
5. How much new for-sale + rental construction is in the pipeline within 1–3 miles? Heavy new supply typically softens prices + rents 12–24 months out; constrained supply supports both.

Investment metrics

• 1% rule: 1.44% ✓
• Cap rate: 11.28%
• Cash-on-cash: 17.79%
• DSCR: 1.79
• GRM: 5.8

CMA / ARV

No comps found within radius.

Projected returns pro-forma

-3.0% appreciation · 3.0% rent growth · sell at horizon

5-year hold

• IRR: 9.3%
• Equity multiple: 1.37×
• Total profit: $8,737
• Equity at exit: $12,674

10-year hold

• IRR: 18.5%
• Equity multiple: 2.54×
• Total profit: $36,685
• Equity at exit: $7,349

Cash invested: $23,800 (down + closing). Projections, not guarantees.

Landlord ↔ Tenant lean methodology

• Overall (STATE): 73 Landlord-Friendly
• State Wisconsin: 73 Landlord-Friendly · R+2
• County: — inherits STATE
• City: — inherits STATE

5-day notice; preempted; Madison / Milwaukee have some local enforcement.

Methodology + full state rankings →

ZIP-level market 53948

• Home prices YoY: -29.4%
• Active inventory: 61
• Price-to-rent: 5.8×

Monthly cashflow live

• Estimated rent: $1,220 medium
• Mortgage (P&I): −$446
• Tax from tax record: −$130 /mo · $1,558/yr
• Insurance: −$35
• HOA: −$0
• Vacancy / Maint / Mgmt: −$256
• Net cashflow: $353

Break-even live

Break-even rent $773

Max offer price $85,000

Occupancy floor 66%

UW: 25.0% down · 7.5% · 30yr · 1.5% tax · 5.0% vac · 8.0% maint · 8.0% mgmt

Financing live

Cash to close

• Down payment: $21,250
• Closing costs: $2,550
• Reserves months: —
• Total cash needed: —

Rent comps 3 comps

Address	Beds	Baths	Sqft	Rent	$/sqft	DOM	Units	Dist
400 Stonefield Cir Unit 804 Mauston, WI	1.0	1.0	800	$1,135	$1.42	23d	1	0.17mi
400 Stonefield Cir Unit 931 Mauston, WI	2.0	1.0	1080	$1,335	$1.24	14d	1	0.17mi
510 McEvoy St Mauston, WI	2.0	1.0	825	$1,200	$1.45	14d	1	0.82mi

Listing history 12 events

1. 2026-06-18
   days on market $85,000 Active 14 DOM
2. 2026-06-17
   days on market $85,000 Active 13 DOM
3. 2026-06-16
   days on market $85,000 Active 12 DOM
4. 2026-06-15
   days on market $85,000 Active 11 DOM
5. 2026-06-14
   statusdays on market $85,000 Active 9 DOM
6. 2026-06-10
   days on market $85,000 Offer Show 6 DOM
7. 2026-06-09
   days on market $85,000 Offer Show 5 DOM
8. 2026-06-09
   status $85,000 Offer Show 4 DOM
9. 2026-06-08
   days on market $85,000 Active 4 DOM
10. 2026-06-07
    days on market $85,000 Active 3 DOM
11. 2026-06-05
    remarks 438-char remark
12. 2026-06-05
    listed $85,000 Active 1 DOM

ⓘ Source: listings_history table (triggers on properties + properties_extension) + one-shot backfill from property_details.listing_events for pre-trigger history.

Tax reassessment forecast WI · Partial reset (capped growth)

• Current annual tax: $1,558 · $130/mo
• Projected year-2 tax: $1,565 · $130/mo
• Expected delta: +$7/yr (+$1/mo · 0.5%)

ⓘ Screening estimate from a state-policy table — verify with the county assessor before closing.

Climate risk First Street

• 🌊 Flood 1/10 Low FEMA zone X (unshaded) · 0% chance over 30 yrs
• 🔥 Wildfire 1/10 Low
• 🌡 Heat 2/10 Low 7 d/yr ≥98°F today · 14 d/yr by 30 yrs out
• 💨 Wind 2/10 Low
• 🫁 Air quality 1/10 Low 0 unhealthy d/yr today · 0 by 30 yrs out

Taxation est. · year 1

• Rental income: $14,642
• − Mortgage interest: −$4,761
• − Property taxes: −$1,558
• − Insurance: −$425
• − Repairs & maintenance: −$1,171
• − Management: −$1,171
• − Depreciation: −$2,473
• Taxable income: $3,082
• Est. tax owed @ 24.0%: −$740
• After-tax cash flow: $3,495/yr

For passive investors: Depreciation is non-cash, so a rental often shows a tax loss while cash-flowing — sheltering income. Rental losses are passive: they offset passive income freely, and up to $25,000/yr can offset ordinary (W-2) income if you actively participate and your MAGI is under $100k (phasing out to $0 by $150k); unused losses carry forward. On sale, claimed depreciation is recaptured at up to 25%, and gains may owe capital-gains tax (a 1031 exchange can defer both). Figures are a year-1 estimate at your 24.0% rate — not tax advice; consult a CPA.

Schools (NCES district)

• District: Mauston School District
• NCES district ID: 5508850
• Math proficiency: 36% ▼ -3.00%
• Reading proficiency: 31% ▼ -1.00%
• Median HH income: $46,779
• Composite: 28.82/100
• National rank: #6658
• State rank: #248 of 342 in WI

Livability — Mauston

• Score: 71/100
• State rank: #258
• US rank: #6593

Category grades

Amenities F Commute F Cost of living A+ Crime A+ Employment C- Housing A+ Health & safety A+ User ratings A

Schools grade is shown separately in the Schools card above.

Census & demographics

• Census place: Mauston, WI
• Population (ZIP): 8,221

Population outlook (Juneau County) Hauer SSP2

• Today (2025): 25,013 people
• By 2030: 24,154 · -3.4%
• By 2040: 22,217 · -11.2%
• By 2050: 20,276 · -18.9%
• By 2075: 15,919 · -36.4%
• By 2100: 11,351 · -54.6%

Race, ethnicity, and origin ACS 2023

• Neighborhood character: Predominantly White (90%)
• Race & ethnicity: White 90% Two or more races 5% Black 3% Hispanic / Latino 2%
• Common ancestry: Romanian 10% Portuguese 8% Lithuanian 2%
• Foreign-born: 4% · Canada
• Languages at home: 95% English-only · Russian/Polish/Slavic 2% Spanish 2% German/W. Germanic 1%

Political lean MEDSL · Juneau

• 2024 margin: Solid R (+32.1) · D 33.4% · R 65.6% · Other 1.0%
• 2008→2024 swing: -41.1pp toward R · 2008: 9.0pp · 2024: -32.1pp
• All cycles: 2024: R+32.1 2020: R+29.2 2016: R+26.3 2012: D+7.1 2008: D+9.0

Not yet ingested

• Civics: —

Market trends

• HPI YoY: ▼ -109.90%
• Current HPI: 263.4253
• Rent YoY: —
• Metro: —
• State GDP YoY: ▲ 2.10%
• F500 in state: 20

Industry mix (Fortune 500 HQ in WI)

Industry	F500 HQs	Revenue
▸Industrial Machinery	4	$23B
▸Industrial Technology	2	$36B
▸Insurance	1	$36B
▸Professional Services	1	$19B
▸Utilities	1	$9B
▸Consumer Goods	1	$3B

Price history

+136.1% since first listed

2 events — show timeline

• 2026-06-03 Listed $85,000 SCWMLS
• 2002-07-24 Sold (Public Records) $36,000 Public Records

Property tax history

+0.7%/yr

Latest (2025): $1,558 · -1.6% YoY. Source: county tax records.